Climate Change Impacts the Structure and Nitrogen-Fixing Activities of Subarctic Feather Moss Microbiomes Across a Precipitation Gradient.

ABSTRACT: Associations between feather mosses and cyanobacteria are crucial sources of new biologically available nitrogen (N) in arctic and subarctic ecosystems. The physiology of both mosses and cyanobacteria is strongly influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and moisture, which directly affect N₂ fixation rates. These associations may be threatened by climate change, since it leads to warmer and drier conditions in polar regions. In this study, we investigated the N₂-fixing microbial communities associated with two common feather mosses across a precipitation gradient in the subarctic tundra, followed by a temperature and moisture experiment. Using acetylene reduction assays, nifH gene sequencing and qPCR, we evaluated how shifts in temperature and moisture

SUBMITTER: Alvarenga DO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12907784 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature